


PHENOMENA

by unknown_name



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, Halloween 2018, Horror Elements, Psychological Horror, Spoilers, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-18 17:43:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16521704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknown_name/pseuds/unknown_name
Summary: A strange tale about a boy who became both a doll and a puppet.





	PHENOMENA

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to come out for Halloween, but I got very busy and unfortunately couldn't finish it sooner. So, uh... Happy late Halloween, I guess!

There once was a prince whose birth was unwanted.  
His very existence was an embarrassment to his parents the king and queen, who were both intent on keeping it a secret.  
The prince was to be kept isolated from the kingdom, never to be seen by anything, anyone. But while he had accepted this fate at first, as he grew up, so did his loneliness.  
All he wanted was to be accepted, and so he begged his parents to grant him his wish.  
  
_"Fine, we will consider your request,"_ said the king after a long moment of deliberation with the queen, _"but only if you prove yourself to be worthy of our acknowledgement."_  
  
And so, this cruel, unjust game began.  
  
"Akechi-kun! You're keeping to yourself again!"  
  
"Why don't you take a break from your notes and listen to the story with us, Akechi-kun?"  
  
There was a very noticeable level of exuberance inside classroom 3-1 of Tokyo's most prestigious high school, one that had nothing to do with the usual commotion brought about by lunchtime. The primary source being the excessive giggling and waving coming from a group of cheerful girls, their grins playful and their eyes bright. From two rows behind, Akechi Goro looked up.  
  
"Yes, yes, come join us!"  
  
"Your studying can wait!"  
  
Their beckoning was brimming with such expectation the young man couldn't help a rueful smile. A smile that earned him fawning squeals, until they morphed into an outburst of protests at his answer.  
  
"I'm sorry. I would love to listen, but I'm afraid I really need to get this done before lunch break is over." he explained, gesturing at his notebook. "I won't have time to do my homework after school today, so I would prefer to finish it while I still can."  
  
What Akechi Goro didn't say, of course, was that he couldn't care less about the stupid whims of his fangirls, let alone some silly story. His angelic smile gave nothing away.  
  
"Whaaat? Come on, Akechi-kun, pretty please!"  
  
"It's about a prince! Just like you!"  
  
The girls’ disappointment was palpable. They were surrounding the desk of a fellow classmate near the sliding door, hanging on every word she had been reading to them before she joined in the pestering to have him at their side. She was holding a picture book in her hands, the title of which being too small for him to decipher.  
  
"Please, I am nothing like a prince..." he said sheepishly with a little chuckle, triggering another wave of excited giggling the likes of which he had come to despise the longer years went by.  
  
"You are! You're the second coming of the Detective Prince, Akechi-kun!"  
  
"And dreamy like one, too..."  
  
The gaze of the girl who just spoke went vacant, like she was lost in a wonderful dream. Her friends sighed their delight in approval, until one of them turned to address the young man again, but the bell signaling the end of lunch break rang out before she could get out a single word.  
  
"Aw, already? No way..." she muttered, her shoulders drooping, but she and the other girls had no choice but to admit defeat. Two hours later, Akechi Goro stood up and was the first to leave the classroom for the day.  
  
_"You truly are the pride of our school, Akechi-kun, but I expect you not to rest on your laurels and keep your grades as high as possible. We can't have our honor student relent in his efforts, now can we?"_  
  
_"Don't forget to mention how helpful the brigade was with your investigation during the interview... I mean, I know they didn't do much, but we really need a popularity boost at the moment..."_  
  
_"Your public appearance is the first thing people notice about you, so make an effort to be dressed nicely and well-groomed at all times, even when you go out merely for an errand. This includes never showing tiredness, irritation, impatience, really anything that isn't some pleasant manner, so keep that smile up. Also, you might want to grow out your hair a bit... I heard all the male idols currently in vogue have theirs around neck length..."_  
  
_"My connection's in danger now that this journalist woman found out about the slush fund. He's taking care of the bureaucrat, but it won't do any good if we can't dispose of her in the meantime. I'm counting on you to act fast.”_  
  
_"I'm going to need you to conduct a thorough investigation for me, Akechi-kun. I'm missing a crucial piece of evidence to settle this case once and for all... I can't get a guilty verdict at this rate..."_  
  
_"You're the hot topic in town, so you'd better make sure not to slip up and say something about the current case the public doesn't need to hear. Keep the info at a minimum, got that?"_  
  
_"So, how are things going with Niijima? Don't hesitate to contact me in case she gives you trouble. She is a strong asset to the Special Investigation Unit as a prosecutor, but her temperament can make her quite the bothersome woman… which is why you really should have her wrapped around your finger as soon as possible. Since she already listens to everything I say, it shouldn't be too difficult to make her warm up to you, especially with a little push on my part if it comes to that..."_  
  
The king asked the prince to walk across a minefield, and he did as he was told.  
The queen asked the prince to drink thousands of vials until he found the one that wasn't poisoned, and he did as he was told.  
The two of them asked the prince to take a trip through hell itself, and he did as he was told. But no matter how much he complied with his parents' wishes, they wouldn't acknowledge him.  
And even still, the prince kept trying.  
  
"What's up, Akechi? You look tired."  
  
It was already dark outside when Akechi Goro came to the Leblanc coffee shop that same day. The warm drink in his hands had to be delicious, no doubt, but he was too lost in thought to truly pay attention to the taste like he usually did. It was only when Amamiya Ren's voice called his name that he finally snapped back to reality, and heavy maroon eyes met concerned grey ones.  
  
"Do I?" he said with a weak attempt at a smile, but one glance at Ren's piercing gaze practically spelled out he wasn't fooled one bit. "Well, it is true I haven't been able to take a breather today until now... I have been quite busy all afternoon."  
  
"Work-related stuff?" Ren wondered casually while giving some glass a wipe. Akechi Goro looked at him for a moment, and then averted his gaze.  
  
"... You could say that."  
  
The entire kingdom found this all very entertaining.  
Like an audience watching a performance, they followed the prince's every move, eager to see what formidable task he would fulfill next.  
Meanwhile, the prince still wouldn't stop dancing in the palm of the king and queen's hand.  
And this is how he became known as the Puppet Prince.  
  
"The target has been eliminated. Based on the timing, the shutdown should occur during his stay in Europe, like you asked."  
  
"Very good. I'm expecting good news soon. I'll be in touch."  
  
With no further ado, Shidou Masayoshi hung up. Akechi Goro paused the space of an instant, and finally put his phone away. His eyelids heavy with tiredness, he removed his shirt and was in the process of reaching for his nightwear when he caught a glimpse of his half-bare reflection in the mirror.  
  
_... Where did those marks come from?_  
  
His confusion was well-justified. Strange lines, faint but still noticeable against his pale skin, were contouring the width of his elbows, like they had been drawn using some sort of very thin marker. It wasn't only those parts, now that he took a closer look – all of his joints were the same, from his shoulders to his wrists, and even his neck and waist sported the same circular mark.  
  
"What the... What are those?" he couldn't help but wonder aloud as his reflection mimicked each of his movements with very round eyes. His puzzlement heightening, he reached out and vigorously rubbed his left wrist and elbow, but the marks wouldn't budge. A trip to the bathroom yielded no better results – even soap and water wouldn't make them come off.  
  
The young man blinked, utterly at a loss. But stumped though he was, his body was little by little giving in to drowsiness – it was long past 11 now – and he soon found it harder and harder to fight it despite his best efforts. The matter of those marks could probably wait until dawn, he figured as he went to bed... when his mind wouldn't be clouded by the incapacitating brain fog. He drifted off to sleep almost right away, and dreamed of something he couldn't recall the next morning. All he remembered was that it seemed to involve strings.  
  
"I still feel ashamed of myself for asking you such a big favor at the very last minute, Akechi-kun... so allow me to thank you again. Finding time in your busy schedule, all for the sake of the school... You are amazingly reliable as always."  
  
Akechi Goro's principal had always had a good reputation among staff and students alike. He often claimed he liked all of his pupils equally, and the school's honor student was no exception. His hand was gripping the teenager's shoulder proudly as he showered him in words of gratitude, prompting Akechi Goro to smile. The principal's gesture came across as paternal, genuine, kind, and with all that, patronizing.  
  
"No, sir, that's not true..." he argued, but the older man would have none of it.  
  
"Don't be so modest! The panel would have been a disaster without your assistance. To think the student council president walked out on us like that, even though he said he would be available today... I expected better of him..."  
  
For a split second, the principal's eyes morphed – whatever glint of warmth twinkled in their depths had given way to a frightening coldness. They very nearly instantaneously shifted back to a pair of gleaming crescents and even so, the teenager was certain he hadn't imagined it.  
  
"Well, no matter. You did his job just fine... no, even better than he could have ever done. The Detective Prince in the flesh doubling up as the brightest student of his year presenting the school introduction panel? Parents will practically queue up to enroll their children coming next spring. We might have to think of setting up a new classroom or two..."  
  
Akechi Goro's smile didn't change. It remained perfectly still, perfectly bright on his face.  
  
"... I am glad I could be useful."  
  
Time passed, and the Puppet Prince still would obey whatever whim the king and queen had in store.  
His dedication and tenacity were such that the entire kingdom soon began to partake in giving him various orders out of boundless curiosity, courtiers and peasants alike. Errands, favors, challenges, the Puppet Prince complied with it all. Because they would accept him if he did.  
And the entertainment he provided to the entire kingdom seemed to know no end.  
One day, however, the fulfillment of their commands began to slow down.  
  
"I'm sorry, Akechi-kun... I'm not sure what could be causing those marks. I've never seen anything like this before... Some kind of rash, perhaps... Did you make any diet changes recently?"  
  
Even as he asked, the school nurse kept examining the teenager's skin, his eyebrow furrowed and his eyes narrow. He seemed so focused, in fact, that Akechi Goro nearly thought he didn't hear his negative answer until he responded.  
  
"I see... Well, let's wait and see for now. They will probably fade over time." he said reassuringly, letting a short silence settle in before speaking again. "How are you feeling otherwise?"  
  
The teenager's first reaction was to say he was fine. In the end, he merely breathed out a long sigh. "Well, I do feel a bit tired lately..."  
  
"Tired? As in sleepy?"  
  
"No... It feels more like..."  
  
Akechi Goro's voice trailed off. He looked away, giving himself time to choose the words that truly conveyed how he felt. Then, his eyes met the nurse's once more.  
  
"Like my body's heavy for some reason, especially my arms and legs... I sometimes feel like I don't have enough strength to move them properly."  
  
"Hmm, feeling sluggish, then? As though there was a resistance in your limbs?" the nurse mused while palpating Akechi Goro's arm, prompting him to nod. "Well, you should make sure your room isn't too cold at night... Your muscles  _do_  feel very stiff..."  
  
The teenager's mind was wandering elsewhere that evening. From the moment he left school to finally putting his laptop away, he seemed to be acting on autopilot, barely realizing what exactly he was doing, as though his body itself had taken the helm and reducing him to mere spectator. His brain was drowned in thousands of thoughts and concerns, the biggest of which being the strange rigidity in his muscles, made all the stronger now that the nurse had pointed it out to him... and also...  
  
_Those marks... I hope they'll go away soon ..._  
  
One second. One second was sometimes all it took to shatter one's hopes irremediably.  
In one second, just the time Akechi Goro needed to glance at his mirror after removing his shirt, whatever reassurances still lingered in his head fell prey to the jaws of dread.  
  
"What the... No way..."  
  
Akechi Goro couldn't help but recoil. The marks, so faint only a few hours before, were now clearly, distinctly darker. They looked like somebody had wrapped very strong elastic bands around his joints, neck and waist, and squeezed them tightly until they branded the flesh.  
  
They vaguely reminded him of those dotted lines.  
  
Those dotted lines that usually sported a scissors icon alongside the words, "Cut here."  
  
"Eh? You're leaving so soon again, Akechi-kun?"  
  
The bell indicating the end of classes had barely rung when Akechi Goro was stopped in his tracks. He turned around and immediately recognized the girl who was calling out to him – she was part of the pack who had invited him to listen to their story one week before. It took him everything he had to keep his smile from slipping, but he could still sense it being hollow and fake.  
  
"I'm sorry... I'm very busy with the Okumura case." he replied, which wasn't a lie. "My presence is requested left and right, so it's becoming difficult to linger at school after classes end..."  
  
"But you're going to burn out at this rate!" she protested in a high-pitched tone, so loudly several students raised their heads toward them. "Why don't you preserve yourself for once and take the time to–"  
  
Her protest ended on a gasp of surprise. A gasp anyone would have let out upon closing a hand meant to comfort on someone's arm, only for that person to wrench themselves free like the hand gripping them was venomous.  
  
"A... kechi-kun...?" she murmured blankly, but Akechi Goro was in no state to offer her any explanation. He just stood there rooted to the spot, staring back at her with wide eyes, _fearful_ eyes, his head trembling noticeably. The next moment, he was gone, dashing away madly, and never looked back.  
  
_That was close... That was way too close..._  
  
The second he left school grounds, Akechi Goro doubled over and put his hands on his knees, inhaling large gulps of air to calm down faster. His heart was akin to a possessed drum, pounding a mile a minute, and it took quite some time before it finally slowed down to a more normal rate. The teenager swallowed hard, still reenacting the brief encounter with her classmate, all too aware his reputation would probably crumble a few levels in her eyes, but he preferred this outcome much better than the one where she would question _how come his arm felt so hard, as though the blood and flesh had frozen from the inside..._  
  
That evening was a particularly windy one. The weather forecast had announced the risk of a typhoon, urging the population to avoid going out and only do so if absolutely necessary. It was a frightening situation, but it wasn't the prospect of a storm that made Akechi Goro feel like something was clasping his heart. His face tight and his gaze unfathomable, he lowered his blinds, paused the space of an instant, and removed his shirt. Then, he took a very deep breath, and faced his mirror.  
  
This is when he saw them. Saw them clearer than he should have.  
  
He saw them so clearly, in fact, that he couldn't help but recoil. An intense wave of nausea born from fear rose up from his stomach, threatening to spill any moment.  
  
"Wh-What the... No way..."  
  
His hands were shaking hard, and there was no quelling them down. The faint lines around his left arm couldn't be called as such anymore. They were more akin to cracks, dark and thin, but there was something even worse about it all, something that forced a scream out of his very soul. Where his elbow used to be was now a spherical object connecting his arm and forearm together, making it appear exactly like the limb of a marionnette. His neck and waist were the same, also splitting from his torso along the cracks, deep enough for him to be able to feel the indentation with his finger–  
  
"Ah, here you are, Akechi-kun. I have looked for you everywhere."  
  
Akechi Goro jumped about a foot in the air. Turning so fast he nearly lost his balance, all he could do was gasp once more at the sight of Niijima Sae standing near his wardrobe, looking more impatient than anything else.  
  
"S-Sae-san?! What... Wh-What are you doing he–"  
  
"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" she cut off right away, frowning at him suspiciously. "You promised to help me find clues about Okumura, didn't you? We are supposed to investigate together tonight."  
  
But the teenager never got the chance to react to such absurdity – only a strangled shriek left his throat as he felt someone pat him on the shoulder, and if Niijima Sae's presence was astonishing, that one was more than he could physically bear.  
  
"Akechi. What are you still doing here?" Shidou Masayoshi was saying, and Akechi Goro felt his heart throw itself against his ribs before it started into a frantic race. "You should have already disposed of the target we talked about the other day. My patience is wearing thin, so hurry up and go already."  
  
"H-Huh...? Sh-Shidou-san, I–" the teenager stammered, only to get interrupted once more.  
  
"I just dropped by to let you know it would be nice if you could subtly advertise this new model of smartphone to the public when the opportunity rises..." grunted a producer he had met during one of his talk-shows. "I mean, I already told many people you owned one and were happy with it, so if you could help boost sales even further by saying it yourself..."  
  
"You're gonna help me with the paper that's due on Monday, right, Akechi?" asked eagerly one of his classmates, a stocky youth he had barely spoken to before. "You're an ace in every subject, so I figured I'd ask you..."  
  
Akechi Goro felt somewhat faint. He took a step back, slowly shaking his head in denial, his gaze going from person to person. All of them were talking at once, to the point that it became harder and harder to discern whose voice belonged to whom. The clamor was akin to a constant buzzing sound, loud and draining, never showing signs of dying down.  
  
"Stop..." the teenager uttered weakly, his features distorted by exhaustion, but to no avail. Dozens and dozens of people were within arm's reach now, surrounding him, ensnaring him, overwhelming him so much he finally crouched down and pressed his hands hard against the sides of his head, letting out a scream that barely sounded human. "Stop it!"  
  
He couldn't stay here. He had to get out of here. He had to go somewhere else. Somewhere safe... and then, it hit him.  
  
_Leblanc._  
  
It happened in an instant. Like he suddenly possessed a strength out of this world, Akechi Goro sprang back up, shoving whoever stood before him and grabbing a pullover on the way. He had already slipped it on by the time he was outside his apartment and never stopped running through the drizzly darkness, ignoring the countless voices that chased after him, the voices that seemed to increase in numbers the longer he sprinted forward...  
  
_"Akechi-kun, look over here!" "Hey, Akechi!" "Akechi-kun~!" "Akechi-chan, good morning." "A-ke-chi!" "Yoohoo, Akechi-kun!" "Ah, Akechi-san!" "Check this out, Akechi!" "Hey, Akechi, what's up?" "Welcome back, Akechi-kun!" "How are you, Akechi-san?"_  
  
It didn't take long for the kingdom to find out why the Puppet Prince was having more and more trouble keeping up with the commands thrown at him.  
For his body slowly but surely began to change.  
His skin became cold and hard, fragile like porcelain.  
His movements turned rigid and stiff, so much that even raising an arm cost him an effort.  
His eyes dulled until the glint of life vanished completely, leaving behind a blank, empty gaze.  
And then one day, as he was in the process of fulfilling yet another royal whim, the Puppet Prince collapsed, never to stand up again. He had become a lifeless doll.  
A very darling little object, with hair like silk and pure white skin. It was such a precious thing, the entire kingdom could only gaze in wonder.  
  
_"It would be a shame to dispose of it,"_ said the king to the queen,  _"especially when our subjects are fond of it so much. See how fascinated they look!"_  
  
_"But what should we do with it?"_ asked the queen.  
  
_"Such a beautiful object should be reserved only for the eyes of the elite. I shall order our servants to take care of the matter."_  
  
Akechi Goro kept running. He kept running through it all, ignoring the droplets of rain falling in his eyes, ignoring the stitch digging at his side, ignoring the protests from his muscles as they struggled not to succumb to the exertion. The crowd chasing him was gaining ground. He could hear their voices calling to him, shouting pleas and favors they begged him to do, praising his usefulness and reliability all the while. He risked a glance behind, and in this split second felt his heart lurch, felt a poignant fear consuming him like never before as he witnessed those faces, faces that barely looked human anymore, mouths grinning at him wildly, insane eyes bulging out to the limits of the possible...  
  
Akechi Goro shook his head and focused in front of him again. Fueled by desperation, he launched himself into a series of alleyways and navigated them to the best of his abilities, his vision hindered by the rain but hoping the same would go for his pursuers. His erratic path seemed to work in his favor somehow – the buzzing of the mob was getting slightly more distant, but he knew they were still nearby. If only he could hide somewhere, just long enough to shake them off before reaching Leblanc... and just as his brain formed the thought, a hiding spot came in the shape of a makeshift shelter made out of planks and cardboard, clearly the work of a homeless person. Akechi Goro hesitated a second or two, then slowly crouched down and crawled into the structure. For better or worse, no one was there.  
  
Only now realizing how much his entire body was trembling, the teenager brought his knees to his chest and curled up into a ball, pricking up his ears for something, anything that might give him a clue as to what was going on outside, but all he could hear was the pounding of the rain upon the concrete. Perhaps there was–  
  
"Where'd he go?"  
  
"Pretty sure he went this way!"  
  
"Akechi-kun, wait for us!"  
  
Akechi Goro felt his being seize up. Letting out a muffled yelp, he recoiled from the shelter's entrance and squeezed his eyes shut, immobilized by fear, not daring to breathe any longer.  
  
_Please don't find me... Please don't..._  
  
For an interminable moment, the chatter of the mob lingered. He could sense their presence right outside the shelter, mere inches away for him, could sense the hunger of their _hunt..._ His heart was beating hard, so fast and loud he was certain it would give him away, they were going to hear him, he was done for...  
  
"I know! Maybe he's got back to his apartment!"  
  
A murmur answered the exclamation, and soon enough, all human sounds receded. Footsteps, shouts and calls, they were all slowly drowned in the patter of the typhoon. Akechi Goro remained utterly motionless still, blood thumping in his ears, his body shivering beyond measure, his stomach contracting so much it made him feel nauseous...  
  
"Found ya!"  
  
The scream that left Akechi Goro's throat came out strangled and primal. The youth's expression could be described as nothing else so much as demented, an expression nobody should ever be able to wear, let alone witness. His hand reached inside the shelter as suddenly as a jack-in-the-box, clasping Akechi Goro's arm in a vise-like grip and dragging him back into the alleyway with an abnormal strength. The rest of the mob was there as well, closing in on him, their last remnants of humanity gone.  
  
"Stop it... Let me go!" the young man screamed, thrashing around wildly, only struggling harder as someone else grabbed his other arm. "I said let me go!"  
  
With a violent jerk, he managed to break free from the crowd's grasp and immediately took off at a sprint. He had almost reached past the end of the alley when–  
  
"... Aah!"  
  
... when he suddenly felt himself thrown off his feet and sent flying backward, landing on his side. The impact was such that it left him stunned for a few seconds, his brain trying desperately to figure out what in the world happened while he recovered. It was only when he heard the cackle of the mob behind and weakly lifted his head toward them that he got his answer – except he suddenly wished he hadn't known.  
  
"Where're you going, Akechi-kun?"  
  
"Come back here!"  
  
The dim light from the street lamps was glinting off of them here and there, making them appear almost invisible in some parts. One end started from a handle in the youth's hands, the one who had found his hiding spot, while the other one was...  
  
"No way... When did..."  
  
Akechi Goro gaped. His left wrist was wrapped in strings, so tightly his sleeve had nearly disappeared underneath the layers. He hadn't truly processed the sight when he felt himself being dragged forward again, right toward the crowd, this time by his other arm, and only then did he realize his other wrist was being bound as well. Two long strings linked him to the mob, and with each of their pulls came a searing jolt digging into the flesh of his right arm. But hardly anyone seemed to care about his cries of pain – just a little more and he would be within their reach, at their entire mercy...  
  
His breathing coming in fast and shallow gasps, the teenager jumped to his feet and grabbed the string binding his left wrist in both hands, praying to whoever would listen that he could manage to tear them... and by some miracle, it turned out he could. A satisfying snapping sound resonated in his ears, one he hastened to reproduce as he broke free from the second string, much to the outrage of the crowd. Seconds later, he was racing down the streets again and toward the nearest subway station, jumping over the gates. The rare people in the car threw him curious looks, and he knew he was probably looking terrible – soaked to the bone, disheveled, wires still wrapped around his wrists, doubling over to catch his breath... but nothing mattered less in that moment than his appearance. No, all that did matter was that he was only four stops away from Yongenjaya now... three stops away... two... one...  
  
"A-Akechi?!"  
  
Akechi Goro was greeted by the Leblanc coffee shop's familiar warmth the moment he tumbled past the door frame, but it was hearing this voice that made his heart leap with hope rather than clench in fear. Amamiya Ren stood there in his nightwear, lips slightly parted at the teenager's abrupt appearance. Judging from the key in his hand, he had evidently been on his way to close shop for the night.  
  
"H-Help! You've got to help me!" Akechi Goro pleaded, rushing to his side but staring at the door all the while, his body shivering from the cold and the dread. "They're... They're com–"  
  
"Akechi-kun! We know you're here!" cut off a playful voice right outside the shop, and the young man let out a strangled croak. The outline of the mob sprang to vision beyond the glass panels of the door, growing sharper and sharper, pounding against the last wall standing between them and their prey. Akechi Goro recoiled, feeling light-headed, his stomach twisted into a nauseating knot.  
  
"They're here... They're coming for me!" he shrieked as he turned to Ren, whose face showed caution and wariness. "They've been chasing me all the way from my apartment, and now they... they..."  
  
A loud banging sound rang out, and the teenager finally reached his limit. His legs failed him and he fell to the floor, his hands covering his head, every last inch of his body trembling beyond his control.  
  
"Akechi, calm down!" Ren urged, but it only served to push Akechi Goro closer to the edge.  
  
"Calm down?! And how am I supposed to do that?! They're right outside, can't you see them?!"  
  
The young man looked up, a manic desperation possessing his entire being. Ren couldn't help a step back. "And, and it's not just that! There's been other, other weird... Just look at my arm!"  
  
With a hand slick with sweat, he hastily unwrapped the wire still binding his left wrist, drew up his sleeve and presented a shivering arm for a confused Ren to see. But when Ren finally met his gaze after a few seconds of silence, his inevitable gasp of shock turned out to be only a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Akechi... What am I supposed to look at?" he asked, taking Akechi Goro very much aback. "Your arm looks perfectly normal to me."  
  
"What are you talking about?!" the teenager snapped, entirely at his wit's end. "The skin's completely stiff, the joints dislocated... It's, it's just like a puppet's arm!"  
  
"Calm down!" Ren shot again, grabbing his shoulders and crouching at his level. "You're just seeing things! Look at your arm!"  
  
"I am _not_ seeing thi–"  
  
But Akechi Goro's outraged retort died on his lips the moment he caught a glimpse of his left arm. His entire body went suddenly still, like he had been frozen in place.  
  
He simply couldn't believe his eyes anymore.  
  
He didn't know what was going on anymore.  
  
What he did know was that where there had been two wooden cylinders only one hour earlier was now solid flesh once more. His flesh. His regular arm.  
  
Akechi Goro gaped. The silence was deafening.  
  
"Does that mean... Does that mean I've been... _hallucinating_ this...?" he uttered faintly, examining his arm under all angles possible. Mechanically, he slid a finger under his pullover to check the cracks along his waist, shoulders and neck. He couldn't feel them anymore. "Was it just... my imagination...?"  
  
All of a sudden, realization dawned on him. Eyes opening wide, he spun around toward the door. "But then...!"  
  
There were no signs of life whatsoever beyond the entrance. Akechi Goro approached it with uncertain steps, and slowly, cautiously pulled the door open. All he found out there was the light rain falling upon an otherwise empty street.  
  
The teenager gazed at the scenery for a very long time. Then, without warning, his shoulders and chest began to shake, this time not in fear. His nervous chuckles echoed quietly across the room, going on even as he hobbled toward the middle booth and let himself fall down on the bench, spent like he had never been before.  
  
"I-I see... This was all just an hallucination, huh..."  
  
Ren – who had gently closed the door again and was now retrieving a towel for the teenager – finally gave him a pitying smile. "Of course it was. Nobody can turn into a puppet, Akechi. That's just science-fiction."  
  
The reassuring note in his voice was sincere. Akechi Goro glanced at him wearily, and managed a weak smile of his own. The next moment, he was fast asleep.  
  
... He couldn't have known at the time, of course, but Ren hadn't been entirely right that day. It was Akechi himself who taught him why weeks later, when they had met inside the engine room to settle their score once and for all. The words of his double still echoed within Ren's head, constantly reminding him that even invisible wires counted as puppet strings. No matter how much one tried, it was nearly impossible to sever them... until the very end, at least. This is the last thing he learned from Akechi before he disappeared forever behind the partition wall.  
  
It wouldn't be long before Ren realized "forever" was the wrong choice of word.  
  
"Whoa, talk about being crowded... Ah, I see a door over there..."  
  
"I can't believe we missed this place when we first explored..."  
  
The exhibition hall inside Shidou's Palace was teeming with guests, each more well-dressed and haughty than the last. Everywhere they looked, the Phantom Thieves saw diamond rings, expensive watches, and cigars of the highest quality. The fragments of conversations they were picking up here and there were beyond their comprehension, although they didn't care much in the first place. They were ready to take Shidou's treasure, but determined as they were to make him pay for the things he did and honor their promise to Akechi, there was one area they hadn't gotten to yet until now. The unanimous decision had been to explore it quickly just in case before they made the Palace collapse, and here they were.  
  
"Wonder what's up with this crowd over there." Skull muttered, jerking his chin toward the epicenter of the room. "Looks like they're gathered 'round some window or somethin'."  
  
Skull was right. A large, square-shaped display stood before them, trimmed with gold and surrounded by a mass of passengers. From the awe in their comments, whatever they were looking at was apparently delightful.  
  
"I'm kinda curious to see what the big deal is." Navi said, turning to the group. "Think we can check it out just a sec?"  
  
Nobody had an objection, and they edged closer. Skull had to elbow several people out of the way before he reached the display, motioning at the rest to follow behind him all the while. "So, what's so special that they'd–"  
  
But he didn't get to finish his sentence. A high-pitched scream suddenly went off among them, coming from Noir. Both Navi and Panther recoiled as well, while Queen laid her hand over her mouth. Skull only gaped, frozen on the spot, while Fox stared silently, jaw tense and eyes thin like slits. Morgana's sad gaze drifted from the sight to Joker. His clenched fists were shaking with rage.  
  
"Let's go, guys..."  
  
Around them, the crowd was still buzzing with excitement. Joker could hear them whispering among one another.  
  
"Let's take Shidou's treasure... and send that bastard to the pits of hell."  
  
In the end, the Puppet Prince remained a curiosity even in death.  
Now nothing more than a precious doll, he attracted the attention of many visitors, some of which traveled from other lands just to see him with their own eyes.  
They all gazed at him in wonder, but the Puppet Prince would only stare blankly. And when the time came, he was discarded like a broken toy, never to be seen again, soon long forgotten.  
  
The poor, poor prince who only wanted some attention.  
His wish came true, but at what cost?


End file.
